Raising a Fierce Ghost (Combined)

After passing through the illusion array, the luxurious carriage, decorated with black Coiled Dragon, traveled along the path for about a hundred meters before stopping.

He slowly stepped down from the carriage, his brows furrowing as he looked at the eerie scene around him.

Looking down from the sky, the enormous Black Abyss seemed to suck up all the light around it like the maw of a giant beast. Within a hundred feet of it, the thousands of ancient trees were all grayish-white, their branches twisted, their leaves fallen, and they exuded an ominous ghostly aura.

By probing with his Will Soul, Xu Yuan could clearly sense that the surrounding Source Qi had undergone some unknown change.

Ancient texts record that if one breathes in this mutated Source Qi for a long time, one's body will gradually turn into a zombie.

Xu Yuan was thinking,

Suddenly,

"Roar!!"

A deafening Demon Beast, like the cry of an eagle, echoed from the sky.

After the sound, shadows fell over the eerie forest where the leaves had all fallen.

Looking up at the sky along the twisted tree branches, one could see dozens of giant flying Demon Beast with wingspans exceeding tens of feet sweeping across the forest.

Each one has a wingspan exceeding that of Xu Changge's enormous Mystic Eagle mount.

At this very moment, each of these dozens of flying Demon Beast was gripping a giant cloth bag in its sharp claws.

The bags were huge, even larger than the Demon Beast themselves, and very heavy. Some of the bags had blood seeping out.

Xu Yuan frowned slightly and murmured:

"This is."

"Corpse,"

"Stop looking, kid, those bags are full of corpses."

The serene voice of the Saint's Remnant Soul resounded in my heart.

"."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan's pupils constricted sharply.

Corpse?

And the next moment,

The words of the Saint's Remnant Soul became reality.

Under the control of the cultivator behind it, the enormous bird methodically threw the cloth bag between its claws toward the huge abyss.

The array above the abyss was instantly burned away, revealing countless corpses within. However, these corpses only appeared for a moment before being swallowed up by the inky black mist below.

The next moment,

After consuming countless corpses, the eerie black mist suddenly surged, constantly colliding with the massive array that lay upside down over the abyss, the sizzling sound of burning echoing throughout the desolate and silent surrounding forests!

A series of ancient texts related to the Ghost Mist surfaced in Xu Yuan's mind.

The corpse nourishes the yin, and if left unattended for a long time, it will generate strange fog, which cannot be penetrated by sunlight, and one cannot see one's own hand in front of one's face. The cries of ghosts and wolves can be heard from within. No ordinary person who enters ever comes out again, and even those who have entered the path and whose practice is shallow find it difficult to return.

His old man was feeding ghosts with corpses!

"Heh," the Saint's Remnant Soul chuckled softly, silently reminding himself, "Young Xu, someone's coming."

After saying that,

A gaunt, hunched old man, as thin as a living corpse, suddenly appeared in this eerie, withered forest.

And almost at the same time,

A cold glint flashed through the silent, withered forest.

A Black Sword, radiating a sinister and chilling aura, appeared at the old man's neck.

Ran Qingmo gripped the sword hilt, his eyes slightly cold as he stared at the old man who had suddenly approached.

Xu Yuan stared at the scene before him, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"He's a Grandmaster, a bit strange."

Before Xu Yuan could ask a question, the old man with him had already given the answer.

"."

The air was still.

The withered, ugly old man glanced at Xu Yuan with his lifeless eyes, then looked at Ran Qingmo who was holding a sword, and suddenly a strange smile appeared on his lips.

Hehehe

"."

The old man's laughter sounded like cracking tree bark, Xu Yuan inexplicably thought of a strange "heh heh" laugh.

With an unchanged expression, Xu Yuan slightly cupped his hands in greeting to the old man:

"Sir, who are you?"

With the sword at his throat, the old man's voice betrayed no fear, remaining rough and hoarse as if scratching old tree bark.

"I dare not accept such a title, sir. This old servant is ordered by the Prime Minister to guard this Ghost Mist. You may simply call me Old Ghost, Third Young Master."

As he spoke,

The withered old man paused, then grinned again:

"Third Young Master, could you please ask the Third Young Mistress to remove the sword?"

"."

Seeing that eerie smile, Xu Yuan glanced sideways at Ran Qingmo.

Ran Qingmo glanced at Xu Yuan and silently sheathed her sword.

Xu Yuan clasped his hands in apology on behalf of Ran Qingmo, still addressing the other party as "Old Mr."

"Sir, I apologize for my earlier offense. Qingmo was only trying to protect me."

After removing the sword, the withered old man shook his head and gave a trembling bow.

"This old servant knows he is ugly; it is this old servant who has offended the Third Young Mistress's eyes."

As he spoke,

The withered old man slowly turned around and led the way:

"Third Young Master, please come with this old servant. The Eldest Young Master has already given the details. The carriage will be left here and servants will take care of it."

The tree-lined path, made up of ancient, gray and twisted trees, was about a hundred meters long. Xu Yuan and Ran Qingmo quietly followed behind the old man.

The journey was silent.

suddenly,

The voice of the Saint's Remnant Soul resounded in Xu Yuan's heart:

"This man is quite loyal to your father, having guarded this Ghost Mist for at least thirty years. Ghostly energy has entered his body, leaving him half-human and half-ghost, tormented constantly. He probably won't live for many more years."

"."

Xu Yuan stared at the hunched, withered figure leading the way, without saying a word.

The moment he saw the old man's appearance, his Will Soul sensed the eerie aura emanating from him.

This aura is almost identical to the Source Qi of the surrounding anomalies.

Ghostly aura.

This state has been recorded in some ancient texts.

My feelings are somewhat complicated.

Silently walking out of the woods, the dozens of giant birds circling in the sky continued to methodically feed various corpses down into the Black Abyss.

There are humans, Demon Beast, and Barbarian Tribe.

As Xu Yuan followed the old man out of the grove and onto the open ground surrounding the enormous Black Abyss, a huge cloth bag was just thrown down from the sky by a giant bird.

As the array burned the huge cloth bundle to ashes, Xu Yuan caught a glimpse of what was inside and instinctively stopped in his tracks.

That is

A living person?!

The crowd plunged into the black mist. Most of these living people were martial arts apprentices, and Xu Yuan even saw a few cultivators among them.

They desperately tried to escape outside the formation, but with nowhere to grab hold while suspended in mid-air, they could only watch helplessly as they plummeted into the eerie black mist.

Screams, curses, and cries blended together, only to be quickly swallowed up by the black mist.

And then came the second, the third, and the fourth.

The old man in front seemed to notice Xu Yuan's unusual behavior and slowly turned around:

"Third Young Master, your mercy should not be reserved for these people."

"." Xu Yuan raised his eyes in concentration.

As he spoke,

The withered old man glanced at the crowd screaming and trying to escape, a sinister grin spreading across his face.

"These people were all death row inmates sent from the prisons of various counties and prefectures around Jingjiang Prefecture. Most of them were bandits who had committed murder and robbery, and their deaths were not a pity."

"And,

"These people have a lot of Sha Qi; they're perfect for being raised into vengeful ghosts, hehe...

As he finished speaking, the withered old man seemed to lose control and suddenly let out a low, manic laugh.

A cold wind swept through the treetops, creating a rustling sound.

The pale sunlight shone on the old man's withered face, accompanied by an unpleasant laugh, creating an eerie atmosphere.

Xu Yuan stared silently at the old man before him.

[A ghostly aura enters the brain, causing occasional madness]

After laughing for about ten breaths, the withered old man's laughter abruptly stopped.

The sinister smile still lingered on his lips, but his expression suddenly froze.

Gradually, the withered old man's smile faded, his eyes lowered, and after a few breaths of silence, he tremblingly clasped his hands in a fist salute to Xu Yuan:

"This old servant has overstepped his bounds; please forgive me, Third Young Master."

"It's alright." Xu Yuan gently shook his head.

The withered old man's pale lips moved slightly, but he didn't speak again. The look in his eyes dimmed a bit, and he continued to lead the way for Xu Yuan with his hunched back.

The area within a hundred meters of the Black Abyss is barren black soil, with no man-made structures in sight.

However, a dark, downward-facing passageway soon appeared before Xu Yuan's eyes.

The withered old man seemed to need to calm himself down, and walked down without saying a word.

As Xu Yuan walked into the passageway with Ran Qingmo, he noticed that there were no Bright Pattern Lamp on either side of the passageway, but rather the oldest kind of firelight for illumination.

As the firelight flickered, Xu Yuan suddenly noticed that the shadows of the three people were constantly flashing.

After staring at it for a long time, Xu Yuan asked himself:

Mr. Luo

The Saint's Remnant Soul explained nonchalantly:

"Ghost Mist Characteristics."

"Many things within the Ghost Mist are different from those outside. If it weren't for the array's restrictions, this place would probably have already been swallowed up by the Ghost Mist. Located at the edge of the Ghost Mist, you could think of it as the 'boundary between Yin and Yang.' Of course, this is just a descriptive term, but it's not far off."

Xu Yuan understood immediately; he had read many books about Ghost Mist in recent days.

The ancient texts are all extremely secretive about the Ghost Mist, and their descriptions are all extremely terrifying.

It erodes everything, spreads infinitely, becomes a forbidden zone for life, a man-made disaster, and once it is born, it brings devastation to all living beings.

Now that I've seen it in person, I've gained some understanding.

There was firelight but no shadow; common sense and rules were directly altered.

The silence continued downwards, the tunnel spiraling downwards, seemingly without end.

I don't know how long I walked.

Ran Qingmo suddenly spoke up beside him:

"We're almost there."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan immediately became alert, sensing that he was about to witness something extraordinary.

After walking for about ten more breaths, the end of the spiraling, descending tunnel finally appeared before them.

A stone archway formed by a tunnel was currently enveloped in a thin layer of white light.

To avoid losing control of his emotions, the withered old man remained silent, only glancing back at Xu Yuan before silently passing through the layer of white light.

Xu Yuan paused in front of the light screen and glanced at Ran Qingmo.

Ran Qingmo blinked and nodded at Xu Yuan, indicating that there was no danger.

Xu Yuan guessed that this must be some kind of formation, so he stepped over it.

Beyond the thin film of white light, the view suddenly opened up before my eyes.

This is a huge cave.

The cave's inner walls were hidden in darkness, with no end in sight. However, on the ground beneath his feet, unknown gemstones emitted a faint glow, stretching endlessly and forming some kind of intricate array pattern, all the way to the end of Xu Yuan's vision.

A few breaths after he stepped in,

Suddenly,

One after another, the intricate array patterns lit up like water flowing into a channel. After a few breaths of charging, the darkness of the entire cave was illuminated by the array patterns, revealing its true appearance.

Inside the cave, on the rock walls, are rows of neatly arranged stone chambers. Countless phantom-like ghosts are trapped inside and frantically ramming against them, but the inner walls of the chambers are also engraved with dense and intricate array patterns, making it impossible for them to escape.

Upon seeing this Hundred Ghost Cavern, Xu Yuan's breathing began to tremble.

"Kid, you've never seen this before?" The Saint's Remnant Soul spoke with a slightly mocking tone.

Xu Yuan steadied himself and gently shook his head.

It's common knowledge among ordinary people that Demon Beast can be kept in captivity, but what about vengeful ghosts?

The Saint's Remnant Soul chuckled softly upon hearing this, his tone tinged with a sense of melancholy at the vicissitudes of life:

"Hehe. That's true. The last time I came out was three thousand years ago. Back then, whenever the Ghost Mist appeared, it wasn't just a matter of widespread suffering, but it was also a forbidden zone, and eradicating it was as difficult as ascending to heaven. Your elder brother told me about this before, and I was somewhat skeptical. But now that I've seen it, I can actually raise the Ghost Mist like Demon Beast. Hehe, humanity is truly flourishing."

"."

Xu Yuan frowned and remained silent.

He suddenly understood why Lou Ji had said earlier that the incident here would affect the supply of soul-type pills in the southwest of the Great Yan.

Herbs that are beneficial to the Will Soul not only have demanding environmental requirements, but also have a long growth cycle. Even with a well-developed ripening system, it takes at least two or three years, and sometimes more than ten years, for a batch of herbs to mature.

However, after millions of years of development, elixirs that help the Will Soul no longer necessarily need to be made from medicinal herbs; ghosts and demons can also be used to refine them.

The soul power contained in the natural souls of demons and ghosts fully meets the requirements for alchemy. As long as the ferocious energy contained within them is extracted using special methods during the refining process, the Soul Pill can be made!

Hunting demons and ghosts has been going on for quite some time now.

But if we're talking about raising them in captivity...

Thinking of this, Xu Yuan let out a long sigh.

The technology tree in this world is not static; under the centralized power of the dynasty, many things are rapidly evolving.

Just like the advancements in human technology for raising Demon Beast, only this time the humans are raising even more terrifying ghosts.

But then I think about it again, and it makes sense.

Even Demon Beast can be raised and tamed, so why can't the souls of vengeful ghosts be kept as pets?

However, the technology for raising demons and monsters is probably not yet perfect.

Otherwise, the relevant texts wouldn't have been kept so tightly under wraps by the major powers, to the point that even he, the Third Young Master, was unaware of the details.

After thinking for a moment, Xu Yuan turned to Ran Qingmo beside him and asked in a low voice:

"Ran Qingmo, does your Tianyuan Sword Sect have this?"

Ran Qingmo turned around and looked at him, hesitating slightly, but finally nodded:

"Yes, my master took me there before, but it wasn't this big."

"Oh"

Upon hearing this, the Saint's Remnant Soul chuckled softly in Xu Yuan's heart and whispered, "How can a latecomer compete with one who has just undergone a transformation?"

Xu Yuan's eyes narrowed, a hint of surprise in them, and he asked inwardly;

"Mr. Luo, what is meant by 'first changer'?"

The Saint's Remnant Soul remained silent for a moment, then chuckled softly, a hint of admiration in his voice:

"This array that blocks the Ghost Mist was created by the ' Institute of Investigation ' within your Prime Minister's Estate. Among the billions of living beings, there is no shortage of people with extraordinary talents. This kind of array is unprecedented."

The Institute of Investigation.

Xu Yuan silently memorized the name, determined to visit it sometime.

The previous "Heavenly Message Crystal" and the current Ghost Mist Isolation Array are both creations capable of overturning an entire era.

After a moment's thought, Xu Yuan suddenly asked:

"Mr. Luo, how do you know about this?"

The Saint's Remnant Soul replied matter-of-factly, "When your elder brother mentioned earlier that he would use his demonic soul to help me restore my soul power, I casually asked about it, and he answered me."

As he spoke, the Saint's Remnant Soul paused, then smiled meaningfully:

"Your elder brother is unparalleled in this world, and the Institute of Investigation has such a brilliant and talented person. I am truly very curious about your father, young Xu."

Xu Yuan remained noncommittal, but smiled inwardly as he replied:

"Once I return to the capital, Mr. Luo will naturally be able to see my father. As for now, let's go with that Ghost Elder to help Mr. Luo recover your soul power."

This is a two-in-one book; there will be another chapter later.